New Delhi, 21 May 2002
Time
To Disband
SHED
TEARS FOR PARLIAMENT
By Poonam I. Kaushish
Tunde ke Kebab and Gilafi Kulcha of Lucknow, Tandoori
Jheenga and Amritsari machchi, Hyderabadi Dam ki Biryani, Bhunna Paneer, Natun
Gurhey Rosogulley of Kolkata and Dandiwale Kulfi of Delhi. Some items from a 14-page menu in red and
gold colour to tickle the taste buds as seldom before. A feast worthy of Kings? Or, the banquet of a
crorepati? A big ‘no’. This was the
spread for our jan sevak Parliamentarians. And why not? After all, our netagan
today are no less than the erstwhile
Rajas and Maharajas, if not one better.
The occasion was to celebrate Parliament’s golden jubilee at
the spanking new Library Wing on the evening of May 13 last. If one was looking
forward to some introspection, a little bit of soul searching, of how the legacy of our great leaders is today
replete with criminals, scams and systems failure, one was sadly mistaken.
True, there were a plethora of syrupy speeches, by Prime Minister Vajpayee, Leader
of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi, Lok Sabha Speaker and some others. All called
for unity and urged higher morals in public life. (sic) But this solemn occasion will be remembered
mostly only for the grand feast that followed!
If this is unpalatable, worse follows. Only around 200 of
the 745 MPs showed up! The President of India, who constitutes our Parliament
alongwith the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha was greatly missed. Instead of being a national celebration of the
people, the function bore no more than the “stamp” of the Parliamentary Affairs
Minister, Pramod Mahajan. More,
Vajpayee, Sonia and few others ate their meal on tables laid out in the
air-conditioned environs of the banquet hall. Unlike Nehru, Indira Gandhi or
Rajiv who would have surely joined the
hoi-polloi – the MPs queuing up for the delicacies on the lawns. Exposing how
“caste ridden”, and ego-centric our rulers have become.
Indeed, Parliament has changed greatly since the Nehru era.
The first Prime Minister’s respect for Parliament as an institution was as
deep-rooted as his faith in the democratic process.
Parliament symbolized for him the power of the people and he was always zealous
in guarding its dignity. In distressing
contrast to the approach and outlook of many among the powers that- be at
present, as well as during the past three decades.
Today, the voice of the masses
has turned into an invoice for themselves – money, power and kursi. The sound
and fury largely generated for self gain has replaced law making. Mockery is
made of established conventions and procedures. Thus, Parliament has declined
sadly and come to mean less and less in national governance. Remaining sovereign only
in name. Spotlighting the basic contempt that our netagan have for the
high temple of democracy.
The sceptics who harbour any doubts had only to witness the just-concluded budget session of the Thirteenth Lok Sabha. Wherein the
sanctum sanctorum of India’s
democracy was defiled to zero. Indeed, this
session will go down in
Parliament’s “notorious” history as having been for Gujarat, Gujarat and more Gujarat. Shockingly, for the first time in India’s
parliamentary history, the Lok Sabha had to be adjourned for lack of quorum
when the Finance Bill was to be discussed
and passed. Never mind that debate
and discussion of the budget and of
the proposal taxes is the basic requirement of any democracy.
Not just that.
Earlier, out of the three Ministries earmarked for the discussion of their demands for grants – Agriculture,
External Affairs and Defence, only the first was given just a quick glance. The
other two, like all others, were merrily guillotined. The Railway Budget was passed in a record five minutes. Arguably, why should
our pampered Hon’bles lose their sleep? After all, it is only the common man
who has to bear the brunt of rising prices and inflation. Not those who thrive
on subsidies and deficits. Why bother
about the mundane business of the
House?
The BJP heaved a sigh of relief at the end of the session
even as it tom tommed its intentions. The Opposition glowed in the aftermath of
muscle-flexing. The Congress felt
outwitted and accused the BJP of turning Parliament into an arena to massage its much bruised ego. Reflecting the abysmal
depths to which politics has sunk in our country. All that transpired --
blockades, lung-power and unabashed opportunism –- will be remembered as the
lowest denominator in our Parliamentary
democracy, when national interests were mindlessly
sacrificed at the alter of power. Thus inflicting a great damage on democracy.
The figures speak for themselves. Parliament is spending less and less
time on lawmaking. The first Lok Sabha spent 49.80 per cent of its time on
enacting legislation. This came down sharply to 17.38 per cent for the Tenth
Lok Sabha. The actual time spent is certain to be markedly less. The maximum time was spent on “other matters” or
unlisted issues. Compare this to a
mere four per cent by the first Lok Sabha. The tragedy becomes stark when one
realizes that every minute lost in Parliament costs Rs 2 lakhs.
Importantly, the Question Hour, more than any other time,
serves as a barometer of governmental performance at the macro level and a
Minister’s effectiveness at the
micro level. It provides for daily and continuing accountability of Government
to Parliament. Wherein the Government through its Ministers is forced to answer
questions. It is thus the most powerful weapon available to the Opposition to
keep the Government on a tight leash. However, our MPs treat this hour very
casually. Inconvenient questions are avoided and, on occasions, obliging
questioners persuaded to stay away. Moreover, the answers leave much to be
desired. They are wishy washy and evasive. In fact, a sheer waste of time,
often justifying angry clashes.
During G.V. Mavalankar’s
tenure as the Lok Sabha’s first
Speaker, some 12 questions or more were
taken up in sixty minutes. Shockingly,
only two or three questions are
taken up these days. At times a question goes on and on for some 40 minutes.
More often than not a question gets converted in to a short notice discussion or a no-day—yet-named motion. Nehru made it a point to be present every day
during the Question Hour. It provided him
an excellent feedback about his
Ministers and the state of the nation. Unfortunately, Prime Minister
Vajpayee prefers to be laid back, turning up only on Wednesday, when his
questions are listed.
From question-time onwards, it’s a steady down hill. Zero
Hour has been converted into a glorified Rule 377, wherein MPs can raise issues
without the Government being obliged to reply. More often MPs use this Hour to
score brownie points and catch the
headlines. Last week, the power and
water crisis stalking the country was drowned in the hullabaloo over BJP’s
Gujarat and Ayodhya versus the 1984 Sikh killing during the Congress regime. The less
said about the attendance during the afternoons
the better. There are barely two score MPs present at any time. Most
among them sit in the House for their
post-lunch siesta. [ A time-honoured convention of the House of Commons
permits members to sleep so long as they do not snore and disturb!]
On the last day of the session
when the House discussed the barbaric
Kalucha killings, only about 35 MPs were present in the House during
the first two hours after a curtailed
lunch break. For more than an hour none of the top four – Vajpayee,
Advani, Jaswant Singh or George Fernandes were present! In sharp contrast,
J&K’s Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah, sat glued to his seat in the
Distinguished visitor’s Gallery throughout the debate.
Clearly, it is time to give serious thought to rectifying
the flaws in our system and urgently overhauling it. Rules have to be
drastically changed to put Parliament back on the rails and ensure that none
can hold the two Houses to ransom. First and foremost, we have to draw a lakshman
rekha. Are we for democracy as a
civilized form of Government or are we
for what the former President Giri once described as a “democracy” of
devils and fixers. How long are we going to mortage our conscience to unabashed
gimmickry and goondaism? How long are we going to allow myopic partisan
politics to recklessly paralyse
Parliament? Must we stand as mute spectators while Parliament gets vandalized
by our jan sevaks.
The answer is a resounding no. We cannot go on seeing the slow but sure
destruction of Parliament. If the netagan are not willing to remedy matters,
the public may feel constrained to take
the law into its own hands. Either way,
it is time for all to shed tears for India’s high temple of democracy. Enough
is enough!—INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature
Alliance)
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